Nevada Lt. Gov. Krolicki details Reno-Tahoe Olympic bid

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STATELINE, Nev. — Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki has learned a lot in the past six years, particularly about what it takes to form a bid for the world's largest winter sporting event: the Winter Olympics.

Krolicki, head of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition, spoke to a group of about 50 snow-sports journalists Tuesday on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe, pushing the region's effort to score an Olympic bid.

“We think this is an opportunity to seize, and this is the moment to seize it,” Krolicki said.

At least two groups are lobbying for a Reno-Tahoe bid for the 2022 winter Olympics. Though planning for a bid has already begun, it's unclear whether the U.S. Olympic Committee will even put a bid in for the Winter Games.

“It's all contingent on whether or not the USOC decides to submit a bid,” Krolicki said.

Nonetheless, the coalition is already working with partners to gauge the region's capacity to host. Details like having exactly the right type of downhill slope for slalom races, the elevation of the nordic track and proximity of venues for the different competitions all have to be measured.

So far, the region looks like it could handle the event, Krolicki said. Even with some events in Reno and Sacramento, it would be a relatively compact venue compared to other Olympics, he added.

“The logistics of a Winter Games here are profoundly more simple than other venues,” Krolicki said.

A bid for the Olympics could cost around $5 million, Krolicki said. The coalition is working with the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee to put together the bid.